Wesley So has won the first official World Fischer Random Chess Championship, sweeping aside Magnus Carlsen in the final. So needed just two fast-rapid games to dispatch Carlsen and become the first official Fischer Random chess world champion.
Defending with black in the first game, So agreed to a repetition of moves from a position of strength, then crisply refuted Carlsen’s desperate attack in the second game.
In the bronze final, Ian Nepomniachtchi demonstrated a continued return to form with a convincing performance against Fabiano Caruana. His sparkling victory with black in the third fast-rapid ended their contest and the event.
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The start position for the first fast-rapid games.
There was a limited amount of reaction banter to today’s unveiling of the initial position. Carlsen just observed that the kings are well-protected. As usual, So was most enthused, and once again he worked in a castling remark. He also wondered if a player had to touch the king first if castling “queenside” because it was already on the target square, or if a player could finally touch the rook first.
This constant harping back to the semifinal incident with Nepomniachtchi, where their game was eventually replayed, reveals, I think, that So may be extremely modest and polite but has a core of steel. He might not have complained then, but this running routine strongly indicates that having to replay that game must have irritated him greatly.
The crowds for the final day were the biggest of the event, so big that the museum staff was concerned about capacity. Whether this meant that local fans still believed in a miracle comeback by Carlsen and wanted to witness history, or if Fischer Random is again capturing the public imagination is hard to say. Perhaps So’s regular compliments about Norway and its tasty salmon had charmed spectators to attend.
The top duel was the first to finish in the opening round. NRK TV was focused on So’s high pulse rate—though he tends to have the highest “resting” rate during play—but the evidence indicated full control by the American. He played extremely quickly, again displaying his affinity for FR chess and coordinating with fluent ease. So’s smooth pressure convinced Carlsen to bail out with a repetition that So didn’t have to accept—but did.
This result meant that Carlsen had to win all remaining fast-rapid games and then score 3.5/4 just to force armageddon. And he had to start this streak with the black pieces.
With So in such majestic form, Carlsen was soon reduced to a desperate sacrificial attack just to breathe the vaguest hopes into the position, but the American smothered these with more of his clinical efficiency. The first FR chess world champion is crowned!
Back on what Nepomniachtchi amusingly dubbed “the board of shame,” after being relegated to the bronze final, some sharp and arguably much meatier games were being played. The Russian opened up a five-point lead by steadily building up pressure and then powering the point home, though there was a very odd double lapse with Caruana on the verge of defeat.
The second game was hugely entertaining, with Nepomniachtchi going on a sacrificial binge that was good enough for only a draw. The players were so fascinated that they stayed at the board for a while and discussed the details instead of prioritizing their limited break time between sets.
With the destination of the title decided, the battle for the bronze continued as the sole game on stage.
The start position for the second pair of fast-rapid games.
Nepomniachtchi exhaled heavily to express his skepticism about this setup—and joked with NRK that perhaps someone lazy is selecting these positions (of course, they are chosen by machine)—there is only one change from the previous round, a switch of queen and rook. Both he and Caruana expected the games to be similar in feel.
Nepomniachtchi was now within one fast-rapid victory of clinching third, and he completed his return to top form with another powerful win. In what looked like a roughly balanced position, he unleashed a sudden and prolonged ambush of the white king.
None of the live matches in Norway were close enough to take the contest into blitz games.
With the results in, it was time for questions and quotes. So was characteristically modest in victory.
“I’m very happy! It’s my favorite type of chess, and it hasn’t been popular until the last couple of years. I usually win tournaments the first time and never again. Magnus had a bad couple of days; if it was regular chess, he would probably have beaten me easily,” the winner told NRK. “To me, mainly chess is art—that’s why I like Fischer Random a lot; there is a lot of creativity.”
“People love chess here, thanks to Magnus. People here treat players well, and we love it here. I’m very happy to be the world champion, but it doesn’t change much. I think he was shaken in our game 2 and wasn’t able to bounce back, but he congratulated me right after the match. He is a great sportsman,” So added.
The winner also explained why he prefers Fischer Random to “normal” chess. “I don’t have to fear that I am running into some deeply prepared line. The trouble with real chess is that people can memorize up to move 40, sometimes more, sometimes less. In order to play good chess, you have to be good at different things, working with computers. I don’t like memorizing moves that I don’t understand. Here in Fischer Random you get a game, literally from the beginning.”
Carlsen was ready to comment after the prizes were awarded and gave all credit to his opponent. “I just want to congratulate Wesley So; he played a lot better than me. I played OK on day one but was a bit unlucky result-wise. After that I am just ashamed of the way I played, and I wish I could have another chance to do it,” Carlsen said.
So bade Norway farewell with an explanation for why he would not be visibly celebrating here—he has an early flight to his next event in Romania.
Replay final day here.
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